Letter: Greedy bastards

Sir: I am delighted that at last Ken Livingstone has raised the banner for addressing the politics of greed ("The union chiefs are right - our policies are causing job losses", 16 September). I am sure that it was just pressure of space which stopped him from noting that when greedy bastards give themselves pounds 50,000 pay rises the Government pockets pounds 20,000 from the greedy bastard and pounds 6,100 from his employer, thus helping to pay the wages and any pay increases of "the public sector workers who have borne the brunt of backdoor incomes policies for two decades" a higher take than the Government would achieve if the company's money had been spent in any other way.

No doubt he would also have gone on to note that such pay rises have only the most marginal affect on inflation since there are very few greedy bastards in a position to award themselves whopping pay rises.

Finally, no doubt he would have observed that the paradigm greedy bastard who simultaneously imposed a pay freeze on his underlings is helping to keep inflation down, to the benefit of all of us.

It was a pity that Ken Livingstone could not find space to mention that the greed of private company directors is a private sin but a public benefit, but no doubt that will come in his next article.

ALASTAIR MEEKS

London SE13